Trolley wire guard



Dec. 24, .1940. A. HALL ETAL TROLLEY WIRE GUARD Filed Feb. 7, 1939 3 INVENTORS W /vfn/a Patented Dec. 24, 1940 UNITED STATES 2,226,225y TROLLEY WIRE: GUARD t Arthur Hall and Robert E. Jones,

New Kensington, Pa.

Application Febrary v, 1939, serial No.,255,o7s

7 claims. (01.191-35) VThis invention relates to guards for preventing electrocution by trolley wires; more particularly by trolley wires in mine passages.

In some locations, such as in mine passages,

51 trolley wiresv hang very low and are therefore a constant source of dangerbecause a man walking or working near 'such' ajwire is apt to strike his head, or a metal tool carried by him, against the wire and be electrocuted. Trolley wire v guards for preventing such accidents have been proposed, but in general they are' too expensive, inefficient, or diiiicult to install and maintain to be as widely adopted as they should be. Such guards have required separate supports that were very difficult to remove from the walls or roof of a worked-out mine passage for transfer to a new location. Furthermore, if the trolley wire sagged, it hung below the guards and was thus exposed VIt is among the objects o-f thisL invention to provide a trolley wire guard of simple and inexpensive construction which 'can be readily mounted in place and removed to a new location, which has a long life free from maintenance requirements, which does not permit the trolley wire to sag beneath it, and which effectively prevents accidental contact with the wire.

In accordance with this invention a series of cross members are supported above a trolley wire at intervals of several feet by the wire itself. This is done by means of a clamp the lower end of which is clamped to the sides of the wire. If the cross members are made of metal, they are insulated fromthe trolley wire, preferably at the 1 point of connection between vcross member and clamp. Suspended from the ends of the cross members are sheet-like strips of insulating material which extend along the wire and hang below it. These strips prevent anyone who is not directly below the trolley wire from accidentally touching it.

'Ihe invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing in which Fig. 1 shows a trolley wire in cross section with our guard mounted thereon; Fig. 2 is a side view of the guard taken on the line II-II of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a reduced side View of a series of guards mounted on a trolley wire; and Fig. 4 is a fragmentary view, similar to Fig. 1, of a modified form of supporting clamp.

Referring to Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawing, the lower end of an upright clamp I is connected to a trolley wire 2, and itsV upper end supports an elongate cross member 3 extending transversely of the wire. The clamp has two independent arms o-r side plates 4 the lower ends of which are turned inwardly in order to project into the customary longitudinal grooves 6 in the sides of the trolley wire. The upper kends of these plates are provided with aligned openingsl in 5 which a sleeve 1, preferably -formed 'of insulating material, is disposed. This sleeve has an enlarged central portion 8 that spaces the upper ends of the clamp plates apart and locks the y sleeve in place. The end portions of the slee-ve 1'0 preferably extend outwardly from the sides of the clamp. The lowerl ends of side plates 4 are drawn toward each other, for gripping the trolley wire, by means of a nut and bolt 9 or the like Y extending through the plates between the sleeve 15 and wire. v

Cross member 3 is preferablya metal rod, and it is insulated from clamp I by sleeve 1 through which it extends. The rod has a lateral offset or kink Il in its central portion inside of en- 20 larged sleeve portion 8 to prevent the rod =from moving lengthwise in the sleeve. The ends of the rod project a substantial distance from the sleeve ends and are preferably provided with depending reverse bends or hook portions I 2. 25

Suspended from each end of the rod is a sheetlike strip I3 of insulating material, such as rubber or a suitable composition, which extends lengthwise of the trolleyk wire. Each strip is provided with an opening I4 that permits it to be 30 hung in one of the hooks I2 of the rod. Although this opening may be located midway between the ends of the strip so that each strip will be supported by only one cross member 3, it is preferred toform at least two openings in 35 each strip so that it may be supported by at least two cross members and thereby prevented from pivoting out of position. If the ends of rod 3 are pointed, openings I4 need not be preformed, but can be formed by forcing strip I3 40 down over the points. As shown in Fig. 3, a cross member 3 may support the overlapping ends of two adjoining strips I3. The strips hang downwardly below the wire for substantially the same distance that they extend above it, and their lower portions are preferably curved inwardly to bring their lower edges about ve inches apart (Fig. 1). The strips hang down far enough so that if they are'struck at the side by a person and are flexed inwardly and upwardly toward the trolley wire, they will overlap the wire and prevent the person from coming into direct contact with it.

In the modification shown in Fig. 4, a spring clamp I6 is used. This clamp is in the form of a 55 single strip of resilient metal doubled upon itself to provide a pair of spaced vertical arms I1 the lower ends of which are biased toward each other for gripping the trolley wire 2. The upper ends of these arms are integrally connected by a cross-piece I8 that extends across the top` of enlarged central portion 8 of insulating sleeve l. This type of clamp requires no loose parts, such as a nut and bolt, to hold it in place, and likewise does not require tools for fastening it to the trolley wire.

It will be noted that as the guard is supported by the trolley wire itself, separate supports` are not necessary and the guard can be readily removed from the wire at any time. Also, if the wire sags, the guard sags with it and continues to shield it.

According to the provisions of the patent statutes, we have explained the principle and construction of our invention and have illus- -trated and described what we now consider to represent its best embodiments. However, we desire to have it understood that, within the scope of the appended claims, the invention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically illustrated and described.

We claim:

1. A trolley Wire guard comprising a clamp adapted to be supported transversely above a trolley wire by the wire itself, and provided above the wire with a passage therethrough, a cross member having its central portion mounted in said passage and projecting laterally from the wire, and a strip` of insulating material suspended Irom each end of said member for eX- tending lengthwise of said wire and hanging down below it, said strip being provided with perforations through which the cross member extends for supporting the strip.

2. A trolley wire guard comprising a clamp adapted to be supported transversely above a trolley wire by the wire itself and having a transverse passage through its upper end, a rod extending through said passage, the ends of said rod being provided with depending reverse bends, and a strip of insulating material suspended from each of said bends for -extending lengthwise of said wire and hanging down below it.

3. A trolley wire guard comprising an ,upright clamp adapted to be connected at its lower end to a trolley wire, the upper end of the clamp being provided with a transverse passage therethrough, a cross member extending through said passage transversely above the wire, and a flexible strip of insulating material suspended from each end of said member for extending lengthwise of said wire and hanging down below it, the lower portions of the strip being curved inwardly toward each other, said strip being wide enough to overlap said wire when the strip is forced inwardly and upwardly toward the wire.

4. A trolley wire guard comprising an upright clamp adapted to be connected at its lower end to a trolley wire, the upper end of the clamp being provided with a passage therethrough, a cross member extending through said passage transversely above the wire, means insulating said member from the clamp, and a strip of insulating material suspended from each end of said member for extending lengthwise of said wire and hanging down below it.

5. A trolley wire guard comprising an upright clamp adapted to be connected at its lower end toa trolley wire, the upper end of the `clamp being provided with a passage therethrough, a cross member extending through said passage transversely above the wire, an insulating sleeve surrounding said member in said passage and spacing it from the clamp, .and a strip of insulating material suspended from each end of said member for extending lengthwise of said wire and hanging down below it.

6. A trolley wire guard comprising a clamp having a pair of spaced upright arms adapted to clamp a trolley wire between their lower ends, the upper ends of said arms being provided with aligned openings, a sleeve member disposed in said openings and having an enlarged central portion spacing said arms apart, a rod disposed in said sleeve and projecting therefrom, and a sheet-like insulating strip suspended from each end of said rod for extending lengthwise of the trolley wire and hanging down below it.

7. A trolley wire guard comprising a clamp having a pair of spaced upright arms adapted to clamp a trolley wire between their lower ends, the upper ends of said arms being provided with aligned openings, a sleeve member disposed in said openings and having an enlarged central portion spacing said arms apart, a rod disposed in said sleeve and projecting therefrom, the ends of the rod being provided with depending reverse bends and the central portion being offset laterally, and a strip of insulating material suspended from each of said bends for extending lengthwise of said wire and hanging down below it.

ARTHUR HALL. ROBERT E. JONES. 

